Barrier for the protection of reserved areas against the intrusion of motor vehicles

ABSTRACT

A barrier for the protection of reserved areas including at least one upper element (1) rotatably mounted relative to a lower element (6) anchored in the ground (G). An elastic return spring (18) is interposed between the upper and lower elements (1,6). The upper element (1) is adapted to be displaced to either side of an upright reference position by rotating about a horizontal pin (2) provided on the lower element (6). A releasable mechanism selectively blocks rotation of the upper element in a first direction (F2) and a non-releasable mechanism blocks rotation of the upper element in the reverse direction (F1) at the end of a limited angular deflection. The elastic return spring provides a force opposing the limited deflection in the reverse direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to barriers for the protection of reservedareas against intrusion by motor vehicles.

2. Description of the Prior Art

"Reserved areas" are to be taken to mean areas for the parking ofprivate vehicles, or so-called individual parking spaces, conferringupon their owners a right of private use, or areas for circulationintended for the sole use of pedestrians or authorized vehicles, such aspavements, avenues, alleys or lanes, for example. In such cases,protective barriers are provided to prevent access to these areas by allunauthorized vehicles. "Reserved areas" are also to be taken to meansurface areas occupied by trees, posts of the signpost type, polescarrying carrying electric cables, telephone poles, telegraph poles,pylons and the like and, in these cases, the said barriers are speciallydesigned and located so as to prevent any damage resulting from shocksor bumps caused by machines, vehicles or others.

Thus, for example, in the case of indivual parking spaces or entries toprivate roads or drives, these barriers generally take the form ofdevices firmly anchored in the ground which are able to occupy twoextreme positions, namely: an upright position and a lying position. Theupright position corresponds to the position preventing access to thereserved area by any vehicle, while the lying position permits suchaccess. These two positions are attained as a result of pivotalmovements imparted to the said devices, and they can be blocked usingany appropriate means so as to prevent an external event or anauthorized party from modifying them. The owners of private parkingspaces thus have at their disposal locking or blocking means giving themalone the ability to operate the said barriers. However, it frequentlyhappens that these devices are subjected, deliberately orunintentionally, to shocks and that, as a result, they are damaged tothe extent of becoming unusable and of having to be removed andreplaced, which involves quite a substantial investment. The sameapplies to barriers designed for the protection of trees, posts and thelike, which barriers are placed around these trees or posts so as toform obstacles preventing their damage by violent bumps or shocks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims to avoid these drawbacks and to enable thesedevices to withstand or absorb shocks without this necessarily resultingin the need to proceed to the said removal and replacement.

For this purpose, the invention provides a barrier comprising at leastone vertical element pivotally mounted on a sole anchored in the ground,and characterized by the arrangement, between the said sole and the saidvertical element, of an elastically deformable means having at least onespring extending between a terminal zone integral with the said sole anda zone engaging with the said element.

Such an elastically deformable means can easily be designed, on one handto absorb any shocks or thrusts, the whole resisting passage across thiselement by any vehicle without the latter sustaining damage and, on theother hand, to bias the said element back to its normal protectiveposition.

According to one possible form of embodiment suitable for barriers toprotect individual parking spaces or reserved circulation areas, thesaid element articulated at its base consists of a post and acts againstthe said elastically deformable element with which it is associated whenit is biassed in the direction opposite that of normal swinging towardsa lowered rest position, and a means is provided for limiting theamplitude of the deflection resulting from this biassing;

the base of the said articulated element is rotationally mounted about ahorizontal pin, the ends of which form pivots supported by bearingsprovided in a shoe or housing borne by the sole that is to be anchoredin the ground, and this same base is adapted to act directly incompression upon a spring provided on the said sole when a thrustingforce is exerted in the direction opposite that bringing the said postinto its normal lowered position;

the height of the assembly in raised position is adapted to remaingreater than the height in relation to the ground of the chassis of avehicle to be parked in the parking space or able to use the reservedcirculation area the entry to which it defends.

According to another possible form of embodiment, the said elementarticulated at its base consists of a post on the upper portion of whichare provided loop-like members projecting laterally and arranged in thesame plane, the bases of these loop-like members being connected to thesaid post via springs.

In one form of embodiment suitable for constituting a protective barrierfor trees, pylons or the like, the said element consists of a postarticulated at its base and capable of swinging in all directions, thesaid elastically deformable element being formed by at least one coilspring extending between a terminal zone integral with the said base anda complementary zone engaging with the said post.

According to one possible form of embodiment, the said post comprises,laterally, projecting elements forming substantially the arc of a circleto encircle the tree, pylon or the like partially or entirely.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge moreclearly from the following description, provided with reference to theannexed drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional and elevation view of an example of animproved barrier according to the invention in a raised position;

FIG. 2 is a side view;

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2, the barrier being in a lyingposition;

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2, the barrier being in anextreme position possible through the effect of an antagonistic thrust;

FIG. 5 is a view analogous to that of FIG. 1, illustrating a variant;

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view along line VA--VA of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along line VI--VI of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the constituent elements ofthe device featuring in the upper portion of FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of a variant of a barrier according to theinvention;

FIG. 9 is a plan view along line IX--IX of FIG. 8, and

FIG. 10 is a plan view, on a smaller scale, of a variant of the barrieras a whole.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

According to the first chosen form of embodiment, shown in FIGS. 1 to 4,a barrier according to the invention is constituted by an upright 1having the form of a metallic post with a rectangular cross-section.Through the base of this post passes a cylindrical part 2, the ends 3 ofwhich form journals borne by bracket-bearings 4. This assembly can bereceived in a housing 5. The latter is welded to a sole , which isfirmly anchored in the ground G, for example by bolts 7. The upperportion of the housing 5 comprises a recess 8 for angular deflection ofthe post 1 between a raised (vertical) position illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2, and a lying position, illustrated in FIG. 3. A return spring 9 isattached between pin 2 and a stud 9A provided for this purpose on aslide 10 mounted in post 1 with liberty of translation parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the post limited by a stud and slot coupling 11-12formed by the stud 11 borne by the said post 1 and the slot cut out inthe slide 10. The upper portion of the latter ends in a hook, handle ornose 13 which can be immobilized in a desired position thanks to a keyoperated system schematically represented at 14 (FIG. 1), which can beof any known type or designed as illustrated and described hereinafterwith reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. As to the lower portion of the saidslide, this is extended by an elongated part 15 playing the part of abolt designed to cooperate with a striking box, formed here by a cavity16 hollowed out in the ground and opening into sole 6. The width (a) ofthis cavity corresponds substantially to the width of the said part 15,while its length is established according to the maximum deflection thatis allocated to the post 1 in the event of a thrust in the direction ofarrow F1 (FIGS. 2 and 4), as will be seen below.

Furthermore, the vicinity of the lower portion of post 1 comprises apiece in the form of a heel 17 designed to cooperate with a leaf spring18 possessing high bending strength mounted on plate 6 via a shoe 19 andbolted (or welded) to the said plate.

With such an assembly, it will be noted immediately that if, afteracting on key operated system 14, slide 10 is pulled upwards, bolt 15 isremoved from cavity 16 in which it was previously engaged, which enablespost 1 to be swung in the direction of arrow F2 to cause it to occupythe lying position illustrated in FIG. 3. In this position, it will benoted that return spring 9 has been extended as a result of thetranslation movement performed by slide 10 in the direction of arrow F3up to the position at which the lower end of slot 12 comes into abutmentagainst stud 11. The assembly can remain held in this spring tensioningposition by means of the key operated system 14. To return to theupright position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, it suffices to releaseslide 10, so that, through the action of spring 9, it is biassed in thedirection of arrow F4. In the raised position, illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2, the bolt 15 then drops back into striking box 16, and it can belocked in this position by means of the lock formed by the key operatedsystem 14. The assembly bears on the wall of cavity 16 and on a stop 16Aprovided on the sole 6 as an extension of the said wall.

It is also possible to release the slide by allowing spring 9 to becomeslack when the post is in the lying position: during the movement ofraising to the upright position, bolt 15 can come into contact with theupper face of stop 16A, but it can be raised without difficulty byexerting tension on spring 9 until it arrives opposite the striking box,into which it will drop automatically through the effect of the releaseof the said spring.

If, in the upright position, post 1 is subjected to thrust or to a shock(arrow F1) in the direction opposite that tending to bring it into thelying position (arrow F2), heel 17 bears heavily on leaf spring 18,which yields, while absorbing the force applied. To limit the deflectionof the post under the effect of such thrust, two elements will act asstop means, namely the full bearing of heel 17 on leaf spring 18, on onehand, and the abutment of bolt 15 on the transverse wall of striking box16 which is opposite its normal bearing position. Forcible entry of theparking area as a result of the post swinging fully in the direction ofthrust F1 is thus prevented. Such a limitation of swing has the effectof leaving mechanical parts above ground level at a height at leastequal to the height of the chassis of a vehicle in relation to theground; consequently, there is a risk of collision and damage to avehicle attempting to force its way through. That is why the post inquestion will be designed to have a height such that, even when inclinedat an angle of 45°, for example (as illustrated in FIG. 4) this chassisheight is maintained.

The above description relating to the design of the lower portion of aparking area barrier brings out, as it is, the advantage and value ofthe improvement thus made. A post that has been subjected to stress or ashock can return to its initial raised position and continue to play itsrole as a means of protection against an unauthorized access attempt,without necessitating systematic replacement.

This improvement is complemented by the improvement also made to theupper portion of a barrier of the post type such as the one describedabove and comprising, laterally and so as to project, elementsconstituting the desired space occupying volumes or surfaces.

In the form of embodiment illustrated here, these space occupyingvolumes or surfaces are represented by two lateral loop-like members 20,21. These loop-like members can be produced using any material,preferably tubular and, according to the invention, they are connectedto post 1 via sections of appropriate lengths of helicoidal springs 22and 23 passing freely right through the said post. A portion of thesesprings fits into tubular elements 20 and 21, and they are secured bycrimped points such as 24, 25. To complete such an assembly, reinforcingplates, such as 26 can be provided, these being, for example, welded orriveted.

Thanks to such an arrangement, any shock or thrust applied to theloop-like members results in yielding, generally preventing any damageliable to necessitate replacement of the barrier.

It can thus be seen that a barrier according to the invention receivinga shock or being subjected to frontal or lateral thrust is able towithstand and absorb this shock or thrust without damage, given theflexibility and ability to be deformed without damage imparted to thebarriers according to the invention equipped with the means described.

According to one possible form of embodiment, cavity 16 can be dispensedwith by causing part 15 to end at the sole 6, part 16, possibly raised,sufficing to serve it as a stop.

Further, for greater convenience of use, lock 14 can be placed at thetop of post 1. An advantageous form of embodiment implementing suchdevelopments will be described hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 5 to7.

These FIGURES show: a post 1A, a sole 6A, a housing 5A, a pivot pin 2, aleaf spring 18A, bolts 7 for securing the sole in ground G, recess 8,return spring 9, slide 10A with the end portion 15 forming a bolt, andstop 16A. A lock 27, provided at the top of the post forms a securityassembly (to be described hereinafter) above two lateral loop-likemembers 20, 21, again equipped with their springs 22, 23 passing throughthe said post 1 and their crimped points 24, 25.

In this form of embodiment, the need for a striking box hollowed out inthe ground is avoided. Furthermore, the yielding of leaf spring 18A isobtained, here, in the event of thrust being exerted in the antagonisticdirection of arrow F1, by providing at the lower end of post 1 a curvedback bearing segment 17A to play the part of supporting heel 17 in thevariant described previously.

Simplification of the design is also to be found in the ease with whichthe leaf spring can be mounted and assembled, in that this spring isheld at one of its ends by a device that is simple and easy to produceand mount: in the vicinity of one of the ends, leaf spring 18 has twostuds, 18B, 18B (FIG. 5A) designed to be inserted in matching recesses18C, 18C provided in a part 1BE supported by lateral walls 5B, 5B by atenon and mortise type system identified as 5C-5D. This leaf springrests, furthermore, on a cross member 19A of the sole, also insertedbetween walls 5B, 5B by the same means of the tenon and mortise type,19B-19C. The lateral walls 5A, 5B are in one piece, here, with sole 6A,which represents a further simplification avoiding any need for weldingin the housing.

Further security is obtained thanks to the fact that the lock system ismounted at the top of the post (see FIGS. 5, 6 and 7). In this case,slide 10A to which is secured the upper end of return spring 9 (at 9A)is attached to lock 14 by a rod 9D ending in a hook shaped element 9E towhich upward traction can be applied as before. Slide 10 forming bolt 15is guided here by a plate 9C fixed to an inner face of post 1 with araised marginal portion to ensure the said guiding and a hook 9B beingformed at the bottom of this raised portion to engage the lower end ofreturn spring 9.

Lock 27 (see FIG. 7) is installed in an area set aside for this purposeat the top of post 1 via a fitted housing 28 fixed by riveting. The lockitself, located inside the said housing, is rendered practicallyimpregnable owing to the S fact that, into housing 28 receiving therivets at R is fitted the barrel holder 29 in which barrel 30 is mountedby a screw 31 passing through it at 31A. This barrel holder has flats 32adapted to be flush with the upper edge of the post and to be secured bywelding to a cover 33 forming a protective plate. It will be appreciatedthat, mounted as it is, this lock affords no opportunity of dismantlingit to gain access to the slide manoeuvering means, save by fracturingthe entire upper portion inside which the said lock is housed. Theturning of a key causes the rotation of a tooth (30B) on mobile portion30A of the barrel which acts to raise, for example, catch 9E and, as aresult, slide 10.

With reference now to FIGS. 8 to 10, these show a variant of theinvention suitable for the protection of trees, posts and the like. Ahollow post having a rectangular cross-section 1B is borne by a sole 6B,bolted to the ground G at 7.

This sole 6B has here a raised central portion 40, through which passtwo anchor bolts 41, 42, each of them being adapted to make integralwith the sole the lower end portion, shaped for this purpose, of ahelicoidal spring 43, 44 of appropriate strength and dimensions.

The lower portion of these juxtaposed springs, which portion is confinedto a few turns, is capped by the force fitting of a base 45 formed by asection of tubular bar the shape of which is similar to that of the barforming post 1B; this fit is reinforced by a wedge 47. The post 1Bitself is force fitted over the upper complementary portion of springs43, 44 which emerges from base 45. this second fit is reinforced by awedge 48 and by a locking pin 49 jammed between the two springs.

It will be appreciated, then, that, with such an assembly, any shock,whatever its direction, will result in an elastic reaction by the post,which will swing about the base 45, while absorbing the energy of impactthrough the deforming work of springs 43, 44 and the frictionaccompanying this deformation. Protection can be completed by providing,as in the case of the variant described previously, lateral projectingmembers such as 35-36 which can be made of suitable materials, havesuitable dimensions and be of an enveloping shape, for example an arcshape, as illustrated in FIG. 10. This shape is suitable, as will bereadily appreciated, for the protection of elements such as trees,pylons, posts and the like. If really necessary, the ends of these arcshaped projecting members can come together to encircle these elementsentirely and, in this case, they can have, in particular at their pointof attachment to the post, a degree of elasticity suitable forfacilitating their installation.

It goes without saying that the description of the present invention hasbeen provided solely by way of illustration and is in no way limitative,and that any appropriate modification could be made thereto withoutthereby departing from its scope. One essential advantage of theinvention remains, in any case, the fact that elastic deformationoccurring at the time of impact ensures that the sealing system formedin a single block (reference G in the drawings) is not torn out, whichis, indeed, a risk in the case of the rigid systems of the prior art.

I claim:
 1. A barrier for the protection of reserved areas, adapted forresisting shocks and thrusting from motor vehicles, comprising:a lowerelement anchored in the ground and including a horizontal pin; at leastone upper element (1) rotatably mounted about said horizontal pin; anelastic return means (18) interposed between said upper and lowerelements (1,6), the upper element (1) being adapted to be displaced inrotation about said horizontal pin (2) to either side of an uprightreference position; a selectively releasable means (15,16) forselectively blocking rotation of said upper element from said uprightposition in a first direction (F2); and a rigid means (8, 15, 16) forblocking rotation of said upper element in a reverse direction (F1) atthe end of a limited angular deflection from said upright position, theelastic return means (18) intervening in the limited deflection bysupplying a force opposing the limited deflection.
 2. The barrieraccording to claim 1, characterized in that said upper element is a post(1) and said lower element is a sole (6), said elastic return meanscomprising at least one leaf spring (18), generally orientatedperpendicularly to said horizontal pin (2) and extending between aterminal zone (19) integral with said sole (6) and a zone engaged withsaid post (1).
 3. The barrier according to claim 2, characterized inthat said post includes a base which is rotationally mounted about saidhorizontal pin (2), said base having ends which constitute pivots (3),said sole including a housing (5) providing bearings, said pivotssupported by said bearings, and said base being adapted to act directlyin compression upon said leaf spring (18).
 4. The barrier according toclaim 3, characterized in that said releasable blocking means includes abolt (15) provided at said base and a striking box is provided in theground, said base cooperating with said striking box (16) and openinginto the said sole.
 5. The barrier according to claim 4, characterizedin that said striking box has a transverse wall and said rigid blockingmeans includes the abutment of the bolt (15) on said transverse wall. 6.The barrier according to claim 1, characterized in that said upperelement includes a base which is rotationally mounted about saidhorizontal pin (2), said base having ends which constitute pivots (3),said lower element including a housing (5) providing bearings, saidpivots supported by said bearings, and said base being adapted to actdirectly in compression upon said elastic return means (18).
 7. Thebarrier according to claim 6, characterized in that said base comprisesa piece in the form of a heel (17) designed to cooperate with saidelastic return means.
 8. The barrier according to claim 7, characterizedin that said rigid blocking means includes the full bearing of said heel(17) on said leaf spring (18).
 9. The barrier according to claim 6,characterized in that said housing is provided with a recess having anedge and said rigid blocking means includes the abutment of said postagainst the edge of said recess.
 10. The barrier according to claim 8,characterized in that, when said upper element (1) is at the end of thelimited angular deflection, the height of the barrier is at least equalto the height of a chassis of a vehicle in relation to the ground. 11.The barrier according to claim 1, characterized in that said upperelement (1) has an upper portion with loop-like members (20, 21)projecting laterally therefrom, said loop-like members connected to saidupper element via sections of springs (22,23) passing through said upperelement and fitting into said loop-like members.